Quake rattles Indonesia's Sumatra island

HONG KONG - An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale rattled Indonesia's Sumatra island on Thursday, the Hong Kong Observatory said.
The "intense earthquake", centred about 150 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Padang city on Sumatra island, was recorded at 7:35 pm (1235 GMT), it said in a statement.
Indonesia has been shaken by a series of aftershocks since the December 26 tsunami disaster, with Thursday night's quake coming just over a day after a temblor measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale hit the same area.
A large part of Padang has been deserted since a 6.7-scale earthquake shook the area late on Sunday. Residents said they feared tremors would spark deadly tsunamis.
A 9.3 magnitude earthquake on December 26 triggered tsunamis which killed more than 220,000 people around the Indian Ocean, mostly on Sumatra island.

04/14/2005 15:57 GMT